The Highlands of Iceland ( is, hálendið ) are a sparsely inhabited plateau that covers most of the interior of

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...

. They are situated above 400–500 metres (1300–1600 feet) and are mostly an uninhabitable

volcanic desert A volcanic desert is an area devoid of vegetation because of volcanic activity. The term is usually applied to larger areas such as the Highlands of Iceland, the Rangipo Desert in New Zealand or Puyehue-Cordón Caulle, Cordón Caulle in Chile. O ...

, because the water precipitating as rain or snow infiltrates so quickly into the ground that it is unavailable for plant growth. This results largely in a surface of grey, black or brown earth,

lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or ...

and

volcanic ash Volcanic ash consists of fragments of rock, mineral crystals, and volcanic glass, created during volcanic eruptions and measuring less than 2 mm (0.079 inches) in diameter. The term volcanic ash is also often loosely used to refer ...

es. A few

oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...

-like areas, such as Herðubreiðarlindir near Askja, are found only in proximity to rivers. Icelanders categorise the Highlands as: * "Háls", meaning a broad mountain ridge between valleys, such as the one near Langavatn north of

Borgarnes Borgarnes () is a town located on a peninsula at the shore of Borgarfjörður in Iceland and is the largest town in the Borgarbyggð municipality with a population of about 3800 residents. It is a main junction in Iceland and the gateway to the ...

; or * "Heiði", meaning the real highlands, such as those alongside the Sprengisandur road. Most of the numerous

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such a ...

s, such as

Vatnajökull Vatnajökull ( Icelandic pronunciation: , literally "Glacier of Lakes"; sometimes translated as Vatna Glacier in English) is the largest and most voluminous ice cap in Iceland, and the second largest in area in Europe after the Severny Island i ...

, Langjökull and

Hofsjökull __NOTOC__ Hofsjökull ( Icelandic: " temple glacier", ) is the third largest ice cap in Iceland after Vatnajökull and Langjökull and the largest active volcano in the country. It is situated in the west of the Highlands of Iceland and north o ...

, are also part of the Icelandic Highlands. Vegetation is only found on the shores of the glacier rivers. There is also the danger of glacial outburst floods, or "glacier runs". Some of the most interesting parts of Iceland with volcanic activity are to be found in the Highlands, such as Landmannalaugar and the region around Askja and Herðubreið.

Interior routes

The Highlands can be crossed only during the Icelandic summer. For the rest of the year the highland roads are closed. The best known highland roads are

Kaldidalur The Kaldadalsvegur () is the shortest of the highland tracks traversing the Highlands of Iceland, therefore the nickname "highlands for beginners" . Its name derives from the valley it crosses: ''Kaldidalur'' means "cold dale/valley". Sometimes ...

Kjölur Kjölur () is a plateau in the highlands of Iceland, roughly defined as the area between the Langjökull and Hofsjökull glaciers. It lies at an elevation of about 600–700 metres. Geography At the northern end of the Kjölur road, near the ...

and Sprengisandur. Most highland roads require

four-wheel drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer ca ...

vehicles, because it is necessary to cross rivers. However, the Kjölur route can easily be traversed in an ordinary car and is therefore one of the more popular highland roads. Off-road driving is forbidden entirely in Iceland where there is no snow, including the Highlands, to protect the environment.

References

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{{Deserts Deserts of Europe Highlands Volcanic deserts

Interior routes

See also

References

External links